


Wildlife

by OrphisTheDragon



Series: Younger Days [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Hair Braiding, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Plants, no Linkcest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrphisTheDragon/pseuds/OrphisTheDragon
Summary: "Can you turn around?" Link asked him carefully. "I-... I want to braid your hair."Link was a mystery for Wild.How could he look like like he didn't want to have to do anything with them and in the next second like he didn't want to be left alone?What had happened to the other teenager?_________________________What if the Links meet a younger Hero of Time?One, who's physically just ten years older than at the start of his first adventure.How would he react to them after all that had happened in his past.(Rewritten)
Relationships: Link & Wild
Series: Younger Days [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1513940
Comments: 6
Kudos: 117





	Wildlife

The first to wake up this time in the morning was the Hero of the Wild.  
The sun was shining and the peaceful aura of the day filled him with calmness.  
Wild slowly breathed out, having missed the feeling of being in his own Hyrule, in a region he was familiar with.

The teenager was full of energy for what was going to happen today.  
He was going to show Link what he could eat in Wild's Hyrule.

It really did worry Wild that Link didn't except his cooked food and only had eaten a few berries in his own Hyrule but if Link really didn't want to have the food from them then Wild could show him what was eatable in his Hyrule.

Slowly the others woke up and they all agreed that they wouldn't move around Wild's Hyrule today, not wanting to bump into moblins or another kind of monsters that Wild's Hyrule possessed.  
Wild didn't have a problem with this, it was easier to show Link what he had to know with the others staying at the same place.

Link was still on a tree, sitting on it like he watched the camp all night again, and he looked worse than yesterday.  
There were dark rings under his eyes, telling Wild that Link didn't sleep much or not at all.

Wild wished that Link would trust them so that he could sleep even if it were just for a few hours then everything is better than not sleeping at all.  
The Hero of the Wild could only wonder how Link could stay awake all night the last two days.  
He didn't see how Link put a strange looking mask back into his bag.

* * *

Wild quickly made the breakfast for the others, already knowing that Link wouldn't accept it.

"I'm going to show him what he can eat," Wild said to Warriors quickly while he was going to the new hero.

The hero was still on his bag for a moment, then noticing Wild in front of him and flinched because of it.

"Good morning," Wild said serenely, already excited deep inside for not being with the other seven.

He really liked the others but Wild wasn't used to live with so many other people in one place and the presence of the silent hero was going to be a good change for a while.

Link looked at Wild warily for a moment but also tiredly.

 _"Good morning,"_ he replied hesitantly. His hands were more shaky than yesterday.  
 _"Can we go now,"_ he signed to Wild impatiently. The 'I don't want to bother you more than necessary' wasn't added.

"Gladly, now come on. Before we go crazy from the others." Wild smiled before he pulled Link in one direction.

"Hey, I heard that!" A voice called playfully upset after them.

* * *

"Here would be out first stop," Wild explained to Link.  
They were standing next to an apple tree.

Then Wild noticed something.  
"Oh, you didn't bring a bag with you, where you could put all the food in, right?"

Link flinched because he thought that he had disappointed Wild with his forgetfulness.

Wild immediately realized that his words made Link feel anxious in some way.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm here to show you what you can and can't eat and I didn't tell you to bring a bag with you. It's my fault too." He quickly reassured Link like he would do if there were a wild animal before him. "Do you want to grab one?" Wild asked then, remembering that the other teenager still had to eat but not wanting to force him.

Link was standing there with an insecure look on his face, not knowing what to do.

"Please, you told me that you would eat something today," Wild pleaded with him.  
He didn't want that Link could fall unconscious because he didn't eat enough.

Link nodded and quickly climbed up the tree to grab an apple. He looked at Wild for a mere second, checking if it were safe here and hesitantly took a small bite from the fruit.

Wild and Link both knew that it wasn't much but it was a beginning.

* * *

Wild explained everything to Link what he had to know about the fruits and other plants that are growing in this area.  
It was unnecessary at the moment to show Link what he could eat in other regions when none of them knew how long they would stay in Wild's Hyrule.  
While Wild was explaining, Link was slowly eating his apple. It really was ridiculous how slow he ate it but Wild wasn't saying anything, not wanting to scare off the new hero in their group.

Wild showed the Hero one of the many mushrooms that existed in his Hyrule.  
"This is a Hylian Shroom. It's commonly found near rocks, tree and in forested areas like this. So you're always going to find some here in this forest, alright?" Wild smiled a little, hoping that it wasn't too much information with all these different food.

Link nodded, not being able to use Sign Language when he's eating the apple.  
Even though he took tiny bites you could see how hungry he was.  
He looked like a student at the moment with how concentrated he tried to listen.

Wild had to giggle at that.  
Link was his student and he was the mentor.  
He couldn't wait to tell Twilight that Link would be Wild's protege.

Then the Hero of the Wild spotted a flower in the distance.  
Wild looked at Link again, excitement was showing on his face.

"Do you want me to show you a flower?" Wild couldn't believe that this sentence would excite Link too but he enthusiastically nodded.  
His mouth still chewing a small bite that he had taken seconds ago.  
Adorable, Wild could only think at that sight.

Link was slowly following Wild, carefully so that he didn't damage any plants unnecessary.  
He seemed to love and respect nature as much as Wild did and Wild was glad that someone understood him.

While they were getting nearer Link could make out the appearance of the flower.

The inside blossoms were blue and those on the outside white.  
The flower was beautiful, was the only thing that came to Link's mind the moment he saw it.

"Link, this is a Silent Princess." Wild looked proud when he said that, Link noticed.  
But proud of what?

"This lovely flower was said to have been a favorite of the princess of Hyrule," Wild whispered with a small smile on his face, reciting the words in his Slate, "Once feared to have gone extinct, but it's blooming more and more in my Hyrule."

Then there was a dull sound of something being thrown into the bushes, leaves where shaking for a moment.

"Did you just throw your apple away?" Wild asked the other hero frustrated.  
Link had only been just finished with the half of it. Why did he throw the apple away?  
Maybe making Link his protege was a bad idea but Wild had Warriors and Twilight, who could help him.

 _"Can I touch the flower?"_ Link wasn't looking him in the eyes, scratching with his fingers his hand palm and Wild realized that maybe he sounded too harsh for the other hero.

"Yes, you can touch it," Wild said to the other and Link didn't let himself being told twice.  
He was so careful with the flower, he was treating it like it was something holy.

Wild could have sworn that Link's eyes were orange glowing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Wild asked, looking at the flower with a dreaming look in his eyes. "It reminds me of my Zelda and like I already said it is her favorite flower. I was her knight when she told me that. That was a hundred years ago."

Link's eyes widened at that, not expecting to be told something personal like this.  
How was the other still alive?

"I'm alive again. Something killed me all those years ago, which is also the reason for the scars if you haven't noticed them,” Wild tried to joke but then got serious again, “ I was a hundred years in a coma, not aging, not remembering much from my old life. Just a few moments and one of them is this flower."  
Wild had a distant look in his eyes as he stared at the flower in Link's hands.

 _"Why are you telling me this?"_ Link signed desperately. He didn't understand why Wild would just tell him about his life, about his trauma.

Link's adventures were nothing against this.  
He has missed seven years but he got them back in a cruel way.  
Nobody remembered him but he didn't forget nearly everything like Wild did.  
How could Link compare to that?  
Probably the others had it worse than him too. He didn't think that they would take his adventures seriously and they would be right.  
Others had it worse than him, Link remembered and hoped he would never forget it.

"You know nothing of us and I know the feeling of when you're suddenly somewhere else in an unfamiliar place with people that you don't know. I wanted to change that," Wild explained to him with a warm smile, "You don't have to tell me anything about your past. That isn't the reason why I told you a part of mine. But you know what?"

Link looked at him with a questioning gaze when Wild picked the flower up.  
 ~~Someone~~ Something in him wanted to scream when Wild killed the flower in that way, when he destroyed the possibility for more flowers of that kind in this area for a while.

"The flower will now remind me of more than just being Zelda's favorite," Wild put the flower behind Link's ear and stroked through his hair, "it will remind me now of your eye color too."

Link flinched when he heard that. A blush was creeping on his cheeks. It wasn't often that he was complimented.

Wild saw how violently Link flinched and it broke his heart.  
Maybe the compliment was a bit bold but Wild thought that friends were complimenting each other.  
Maybe they didn't know each other enough for compliments.  
Maybe Link wasn't just used to getting compliments anymore.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with that," Wild touched the back of his head nervously, "I'm not that good with other people. Just say if some of us are too bold or something. We don't want you to be uncomfortable, alright?"

Link nodded hesitantly, still a blush was to see on his ears.  
 _"It's alright,"_ Link didn't look Wild in the eyes when he signed that.

Link was pulling the flower from his hair carefully not wanting to damage it. As he inspected the flower, Wild wondered why the blue eyes of Link were now orange.  
Had it something to do with the nature?  
Was it one of Link's powers that has his eyes glowing orange?

Then Wild noticed that Link was trying to hold back a yawn and Wild wished again he knew how much the new hero slept if he slept at all.

The Hero then stared at him with his orange eyes, flower still in his head and looked like he was thinking about something. He was having his head turned on one side like a dog would do.

Wild wondered how more adorable Link could look.

  
"What is it?" Wild questioned, slowly starting to think that maybe Link was too shy to ask for something.

 _"Can you turn around?"_ Link asked him carefully. _"I-... I want to braid your hair."_

Link was a mystery for Wild.  
How could he look like like he didn't want to have to do anything with them and in the next second like he didn't want to be left alone?  
What had happened to the other teenager?

Wild probably took too long for answering because Link looked disappointed.

_"It's okay if you don't want to. It was dumb from me to even ask."_

What happened to him that he had so little faith in other people?  
That he questioned everyone around him?

"No, it's alright. I didn't expect that you would ask that. If you want to you can braid my hair." Wild answered lately the question.

Link positioned himself behind Wild, slowly and carefully opening the pigtail from Wild.

"Sorry for the mess that my hair is. Would have been more intelligent if one of us had brought a brush with us but I hope that it isn't a problem for you," Wild joked, when he felt how Link was brushing through his hair with his hands.  
Wild noticed then for the first time that day that Link wasn't wearing his golden gauntlets.

There was no answer from Link and Wild thought for a moment that he did something wrong but then he realized it.  
"Oh, you can't use Sign Language when you're behind me and I can't see it."

More silence.

"But it's okay, you know? I think we both have nothing against silence for a few minutes. Just tip on my leg twice if you want me to turn around and talk with you." Wild added with a small smile, finally relaxing with the careful hands of Link braiding his hair.

The sounds of the forest alone were lovely and exactly that what Wild had missed. The calmness of the leaves shaking in the wind or the quiet animal noises were that what was familiar to Wild and probably Link too.

Link...  
Wild wondered why Link wouldn't tell them his hero title but he would never directly ask Link that question.  
It was Link's decision when to tell them this information and it was even more a wonder that he even joined their group even though he seemed tired of saving the world.  
The others were right though. They couldn't call the new hero Link forever because of identities that could be mistaken between them.  
What could they call him, Wild wondered, what nickname wouldn't be taken as offense from the new hero.

Two taps on his leg and Wild turned his head carefully, not wanting to damage the braid that Link had made.

_"_ _I'm done,"_ Link signed at him nervously, not being sure about the outcome.

"That's great. Here," Wild gave Link the Sheikah Slate, "can you take a picture so I can see the result myself?"  
Link made quickly a picture, hoping that it isn't that bad but Wild only smiled at him when he was giving the Slate back.  
Wild nearly dropped the Slate when he looked at the picture.

"Link, that is beautiful! Did anyone ever tell you that you have a talent for braiding? I love how you worked the Silent Princess into the braid." Wild directly looked at Link. "Thank you but I gave you the flower. I didn't expect that you would give it back."

Link turned away for a moment to yawn again then he signed: _"You look better with the flower than me."_

Then the carefree smile vanished on Wild's face.

"We need to go back to the others. They're probably already sick from worry," Wild said to Link, already missing the silence of the forest of not being in a group with eight other people.  
"I hope that you will now eat a little more, Link. It isn't healthy if you continue not to eat."  
Wild really hoped that Link would eat more from now on.  
He wouldn't forgive himself if Link should faint.

Link still couldn't look him in the eyes but he signed: _"No promises."_

Wild sighed at that, he really shouldn't expect something else.  
He carefully grabbed Link's chin so he could look him in the eyes.  
The blue color was back and the orange glow was just in Wild's memories.

"Okay but remember that you aren't alone anymore. Now let's get back to the others."

Wild stood up and started to walk back to the camp.

The mission not to bond with one of the others didn't work, Link thought.  
He really wished that he didn't do that, that Wild wasn't so worried over him, that the others simply wouldn't care.  
But the universe was rarely so kind to him to make his wishes come true.

"You coming?" Wild called back to Link.

Link started to move after him, not wanting to worry the other more.

Wild was wrong in one thing though.

Link's eyes flashed orange for a second again.

Link wasn't and had never been alone.

Not since Termina.


End file.
